From the explosion of e-commerce to the ever-changing online world, how will the evolution of digital customer experience transform retail in Canada? In case you missed it, late last year CB Insider (the new Canadian Business’ membership program) hosted a webinar with PayPal Canada and Knix, one of the fastest growing intimate apparel brands worldwide, to discuss just this: What’s next for customers as we expand our digital and virtual lives?

Jason Maghanoy, Associate Publisher at Canadian Business, led the panel discussion that featured Jason Test, Vice President of Digital and In-Store Commerce at PayPal, and Joanna Griffiths, Founder & CEO at Knix.

What did we learn? It’s all about the customer. The customer is what drives every motivation of a company from beginning to end. The customer is the answer. The customer is the proof of a company’s successful vision.

To give you a clearer picture of the importance of digital user experience and the future of the virtual world, here are four focus areas that should drive a brand’s digital vision.

 

SIMPLICITY

Brands want to avoid complicating the user experience for the customer. The process should be as easy and streamlined as possible, removing any potential friction or barriers.

Knix partnered with PayPal to make their customer’s user experience as easy as possible to drive sales.

 

“We try to keep it simple, thinking about the customer every step of the journey,” said Griffiths. “Brands who are struggling are probably overcomplicating things and not giving the customer what they want.”

 

Test explained that “chat bots” are a great example of making a shopping experience as simple as possible. Consumers are also getting more and more “tech savvy” and so introducing things like Honey as a tool to find discounts helps the customer cut down the time it takes to find deals.

 

BRAND TRUST

In 2021, there were over 27 million eCommerce users in Canada. Trust is fundamental when it comes to the happiness of the consumer.

 

“Trust is everything,” said Griffiths. “A brand is a relationship between a company and a customer.”

 

According to Test, a fast and safe transaction is critical to a business. PayPal has been at the forefront of innovation in providing a fast and secure process, with more than 400 million active users.

While a safe transaction protects users financially, it is also important to protect the privacy of personal user data.

 

“We are being careful about how we treat all of our customers’ data,” said Test. “It is a top priority for us and something we are proud of leading the industry on.”

 

BEGINNING TO END

The digital user experience needs to account for the beginning, middle and end of the customer journey.

Knix is booming as an online business, but it is considering expanding its brick & mortar retail presence if enough of its online base requests it (in addition to 12 locations across North America). This entails a refined beginning-to-end process for in-person shopping. If customers are getting out of the house and going to their store, “we need to have incredible customer service,” Griffiths explained.

As the world faces big changes during the pandemic, the world of technology is also progressing to enhance digital experiences in a time where consumers need it most.

 

“We’ve seen a historic shift in digital through the pandemic,” Test shared. “Digital wallets are getting very popular and users now have the ability to have all that information in one place. We are also seeing an explosion of buy now, pay later.”

 

There are so many driving factors for brands to consider and what this era is showing us is that we cannot fill every single shoe on our own. It helps to recognize where your brand is falling short, and then see what partners you can lean on to take you all the way.

 

“We are not a technology company; PayPal is,” said Griffiths. “We have to understand where our responsibility starts and stops and then leverage partners that can be that integral part of the privacy process.”

 

SOCIAL STRATEGY

The virtual space is so full of noise and brands are battling for seconds or minutes of users’ attention. Social media is integral to a brand’s marketing strategy. It’s not just a product you are selling, it’s also content in most cases.

There is a constant flow of content from various channels and every platform requires its own targeted strategy. Griffiths’ one tip for content creation?

 

“Something you can’t buy is authenticity,” said Griffiths. “Anything you can do to build your brand’s repertoire; honest reviews and building the trust of your users.”

 

Brand authenticity requires adapting to what your audience needs. This means not only listening to positive feedback, but also negative feedback from users.

 

“The answers are in the comments, especially the negative ones,” said Griffiths. “We learn so much from comments and honest feedback. People underestimate the value of checking in with your community as brands are now a source of entertainment, too.”

 

It’s much more than something you sell, it is about fostering a community and going the extra mile to connect with your users.

 

“No one at Knix gets out of bed to sell underwear,” said Griffiths. “There’s so much more going on here.”

 

Wrapping Up

As for the future of Knix, a flourishing intimate-apparel brand, and PayPal, a leader in fintech, there are many things to look forward to in 2022.

Knix is looking to enhance its chat automation, further streamline the shopping experience and refine the right way to do omnichannel.

PayPal is focused on helping merchants acquire new customers by offering solutions that help businesses optimize their customer experience, whether they are shopping online or in store.

One thing is for certain; there is lots of excitement ahead for Knix and PayPal — and all brands adapting to the new digital customer experience in 2022.

To hear first about CB Insider’s upcoming webinars, sign up on the newly redesigned canadianbusiness.com.